Economic Development

Coaldale is a great place to live work and play, and it’s also a great place to do business.

The Town of Coaldale is an excellent option for anyone looking to start a new business or relocate an existing one. Many people have already discovered the advantages to building and operating in a smaller community that is strategically located along a major highway that services two urban centers. Industrial land is cheaper and the mill rate is substantially lower. Meanwhile, access to goods and services remains the same and in some cases, is more broad based and diverse.

Take some time to learn more about Coaldale and everything it has to offer for the future of your business. For more information, or to book an appointment to tour the community and its available industrial land, please contact Cameron Mills 403-345-1370 or cameron.mills@coaldale.ca

Traffic Count

Coaldale acts as a “Gateway Town” which sits between smaller municipalities and two larger urban centers: Medicine Hat, a city 152 kilometers to the east; and Lethbridge, a city 12 kilometers to the west.

As our average daily traffic counts indicate, Coaldale not only provides services to its own residents, but to the many commuters and visitors who pass through each day. Consider, for example, the major intersections that fall along Highway 3.

Highway 3 and Land-O-Lakes Drive (west Coaldale)

Year

Total vehicle / day

2011

29,930

2010

29,640

2009

29,000

Highway 3 and Secondary Highway 845 (central Coaldale)

Year

Total vehicle /day

2011

36,520

2010

32,100

2009

34,460

2008

35,720

Highway 3 and 8th Street (east Coaldale)

Year

Total vehicle / day

2011

17,230

2010

17,050

2009

16,710

A Growing Population

The 2016 Census has the Town of Coaldale population at 8,215 and growing. Since the last Federal Census in 2011, when the population was 7,493, the Town’s population has grown by 9.6 per cent. The 2016 Census also noted there are 3,010 private dwellings in Coaldale. The median age in Coaldale is 36. The workforce, ages 15 to 64, numbers 5,035.

The school population, ages 5 to 19, is 1,700 and the senior population, 65 and plus, is 1,280.

The 2013 Census total for the Town of Coaldale was 7,526. The growth rate in the past 5 years in the Town of Coaldale is 8.4 per cent or 1.7 per cent per year since the last locally administered Town Census. This is a modest increase from the Federal Census that was conducted in 2011.

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Coaldale was 14%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 64.2%, and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 21.8%. The median age is 35.6 years. These numbers increase when neighboring County residents are included.

An Attractive Mill Rate

Coaldale boasts a competitive commercial mill rate which is substantially lower than that of surrounding cities. Compared to Lethbridge, for example, Coaldale’s non-residential tax rate is 35% lower; and when compared to Medicine Hat it is 25% lower. Over the long run, this has the potential of translating into tens of thousands of dollars in savings.

Breakdown

Commercial Mill Rate

% of tax bill

Town of Coaldale

10.6505

74.09

Education (province)

3.4654

24.10

Green Acres (province)

0.1338

1.22

FCSS (province)

0.0653

0.59

Total

$14.3190/$1000 property value

100

Offsite Levies

Coaldale’s offsite levies rate is half of that of Lethbridge, creating added incentive for prospective developers and future subdivisions.

The Town of Coaldale’s Offsite Levies Rate is $85,575 per hectare compared to the City of Lethbridge’s 2018 Offsite Levies Rate of $265,000 per hectare, which is more than double. For more information about developing in Coaldale, please call the Town Office at 403-345-1300.